Process of treating hydrocarbons.



W. M. CROSS.

PROCESS OF TREATING HYDROCARBONS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1915.

1,326,851. Patented Dec. 30,1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER M. CROSS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 GASOLINE PRODUCTS COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF TREATING HYDROCARBONS'.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

j Application filed June 1, 1915. Serial No. 31,437.

other products from residuums, kerosene,

distillate slops and the like, although in its broader aspects the invention is not limited to use of the substances enumerated.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a process in which the hydrocarbons are subjected to both heat and vapor pressure applied directly to'the portion of the hydrocarbon which is in the vapor phase; to provide a process of treating hydrocarbons in which the hydrocarbons that are in the liquid phase are not subjected to the heat except as fed in sufficiently small quantities to vaporize almost immediately; to provide a process in which the hydrocarbons may be subjected to comparatively high temperatures and pressures without the dangers which are supposed to attend the heating of such hydrocarbons in the liquid phase; to provide a process in which a quantity of air less than sufiicient to cause any complete combustion of any of'the carbon in the apparatus is injected into the vapor being superheated while the vapor is in a superheated condition, thus permitting the formation of large quantities of illuminating gas and the formation of carbon monoxid from the carbon in the apparatus; to

provide a process in which gasolene can be made from residuums and the like and the occurrence of carbon deposits in the apparatus being prevented by injecting continuously or at intervals a current of air in a quantity not sufficient to permit the formation of carbon dioxid; and in general to provide an improved process whereby superior or more desired hydrocarbon compounds are produced from heavier or less desirable hy drocarbon compounds.

In the drawings- ,Figure 1 is a side elevation through an apparatus by which the process can be carried out.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation showing a slightly modified construction.

In the manufacture of gasolene and the like in which high pressures and temperatures are used, it is sometimes considered.

objectionable to have the main body of the oil subjected directly to the action of heat. In the present invention this objection is avoided by subjecting only those hydrocarbons which are in the vapor phase to the action of the heat, or only such a quantity of hydrocarbon which is in the liquid'phase as would vaporize substantially immediately.

As shown in detail in the drawings, 1 designates a retort which near its center is provided with a T-coupling 2 having a thermometer well 3. At its opposite ends the.

retort is provided with elbow couplings 4: and 5, the former of which is connected to a force speed cup 6, the feed from which is controlled by a needle valve 7 operated by the hand wheel 8 in the usual manner. In use, this valve is opened so that a very small quantity of the oil to be treated, preferably a drop at a time, is fed into the retort, where it is almost instantaneously turned into vapor by the heat generated by the gas burners 9. There is preferably a plurality of these burners connected to a feed pipe 10 and extending along under the retort so that the latter may be heated throughout its entire length.

At the opposite end of the retort, the elbow coupling 5 is connected to a pipe 11 having a T-coupling 12 into which is connected the pressure gage 13. At its upper or outer end the pipe 11 hasa T-coupling 14:, which carries a valve 15 for controlling communication between the pipe 11 and the pipe 16. This latter pipe serves as a discharge conduit through which the treated products are discharged and preferably leads to a condenser.

In use, the force-speed cup 6 is filled with residuum or other heavy hydrocarbons which are to be treated. The burners 9 are lighted and the valve 7 opened just sufiicient to admit the oil very slowly intothe retort 1, where it is subjected'to the action of heat and the products of conversion are retained within the retort until they are subjected to a temperature at which the hydrocarbons having relatively heavy molecules are broken up and a larger number of those having relatively small molecular weight are formed. 1: have discovered that this temperature is approximately that at which the pressure gage shows an excessive rise in pressure for a given rise in temperature. Thus, as the temperature rises, there is a corresponding rise in the pressure until the critical point is reached after which there is a much faster rise in pressure for any rise in temperature than there is for corresponding rise at lower temperature.

This critical temperature varies with different substances treated and can be determined outside of the apparatus or in the latter by closing both valves 7 and 15 and allowing the temperature to rise until the pressure gage shows a rise out of proportion to that shown by the t'en'iperature. As an illustration of the critical temperature, it is found that when 26 deg. Baum petroleum residuum was treated there is an excessive increase of pressure when the temperature of the contents of the converter are between 300 and 325 deg. C. Where kerosene is converted into gasolene by this method the least temperature at which conversion will take place will be something under 300 deg. (3.

As previously stated the operator can deter-v mine the critical temperature for any substance by observing the relative pressures and temperatures.

By opening the valve 7 so as to feed the liquid to be treated only in such quantities as will immediately vaporize and by only slightly opening the valve 15 so that the retarded vapors produce a pressure of from to 1000 pounds per square inch in the apparatus, it is possible to make the process a continuous one, and in order to prevent carbon deposits in the apparatus, 1 preferably provide means for injecting into the retort a quantity of air less than sufficient to produce complete combustion of any of the carbon. As shown in Fig. 2, the elbow l of the retort 1 is provided with a tube 17, having one end exteilding into the retort and its opposite end connected to an air pump 18 which is driven by the motor 19. The air can be injected through the tube 17 either continuously or at intervals and not only results in prevention of carbon deposits in the apparatus, but forms a practical process of producing large quantities of illuminatously not confined to such use or uses and I do not deslre to limit the latter except as specified in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

The process of manufacturing gasolene from heavier hydrocarbons such as residuum and the like which comprises subjecting the hydrocarbons while substantially all in the vapor phase to a superheating, and preventing the deposit of carbon in the apparatus by injecting into the heated vapor a quantity of air less than sufiicient to cause any complete combustion of the carbon in the apparatus.

WALTER M. CROSS. 

